If you believe in Fairy Tales Snape!
by Fietsmand
Summary: Severus Snape wakes one morning to find his front lawn overflowing with creatures he hoped he'd never see again when he left the Kingdom of Far, Far Away. Apparently they've been thrown out of the country close to his grounds. The only way he can get his grounds back is by rescuing Prince Draco from his prison and delivering him as a bride to Lord Voldemort.


**If you believe in Fairy Tales... Snape!**

Severus Snape opened the curtains of his cottage, wanting to look at his desolate gardens and to enjoy just how quiet and empty they were before he would go for his morning walk after breakfast. He expected his lawn to be just as empty as it had been the night before, his grass to be immaculate, and his flowerbeds to be full of fresh, fragrant flowers nobody but he would ever see.

What he found nearly gave him a heart attack. His front yard was filled with creatures he had turned away from when he decided to leave the Kingdom of Far, Far Away. Centaurs, goblins, thestrals, unicorns, house-elves and the like were gathered around his pond, and he could tell from his vantage point that they were having a very heated discussion. In the middle of his once crisp and green grass – and someone was going to pay dearly for their trampling of his prize-winning lawn (well, prize-winning if he ever would have entered a competition) – stood a creature he swore he would never meet, especially now that he was living a quiet and safe (albeit boring) life: the Grimm. And the creature was looking directly at him.

Severus felt a shiver run through him. He debated whether he should venture outside to scare off the invaders of his grounds and face a surely terrible fate, or avoid the intruders altogether and watch his flowers wither under the onslaught of feet and paws. In the end his desire to save his precious potion ingredients won out, and he hurriedly left his kitchen. If those creatures found out his grounds ran far beyond his front lawn, he'd surely lose his carefully cultivated herbs, roots, and flowers.

He stopped right in front of the creature he realised he had mistaken for the Grimm, and let out a sigh of mingled relief and exasperation before he felt a scowl fall into place. How could he have mistaken this mangy creature for the symbol of Doom?

"I suppose you have a good reason to defile my lawn," he said, watching the dog as it looked at him, first in wonder and then in what Severus could only describe as guilt. "If you're the one responsible for it, why did you do it if you're going to feel guilty about it? That hardly makes any sense."

The dog tried to form words with its muzzle but shook its head when it seemed to realise Severus wouldn't be able to understand. The dog's form shivered briefly, then easily shifted into a thin, dirty looking man, causing Severus to step back and look around himself wildly, terrified that the other creatures might do the same.

"We have a good reason," said a hoarse voice, drawing Severus' attention back to the man he didn't want to see. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't. We thought that no one lived in these parts, which is why we came to these woods."

"Well I live here, so that's someone. I suggest you move your party back to where it is you lot came from." Severus looked at the man and decided it would be best to rid himself of the repugnant intruder as soon as possible before he lost his appetite all together.

"We can't! Lord Voldemort," the man paused, shivering as he spoke the foreign name, "has decreed that no magical creature is to remain in his Kingdom. We were rounded up and dropped off near the edge of these woods. We walked deeper into the forest and – well, here we are. We were just discussing what we were going to do next. Some of us argued that we should go and see if Prince Charming will help us while others -"

"Prince Charming will undoubtedly be too busy charming his own reflection. Unless you can convince him that it would benefit his already enormous ego, he will not turn away from his mirror," Severus interrupted. He sighed as he thought of the brat he had once known as Prince Harry, before the young man learned he could charm the socks off of anyone he met and therefore decreed he would be known as Prince Charming. He had yet to charm Severus Snape, however (a fact Severus was secretly proud of), and he would probably never get the chance. Severus had left the country shortly after the boy had learned his trick. "I will go to this Lord Voldemort myself and demand he remove you lot from my premises. Round up your brethren and I will talk to them."

"You do know they're not -"

"I know you're not all physically brethren, but if he finds that all of you pass as magical creatures, why should I try to distinguish you all?"

"You're a cruel man," the intruder muttered as he began to round up his companions.

"That well may be, but I am also a man who has grown accustomed to his solitude and would like that back, thank you very much," Severus retorted. He turned and stalked back towards his house in search of breakfast.

* * *

A loud knock to his front door reminded Severus that he had to hurry his breakfast if he wanted his land to be free of invaders. He grabbed an apple before throwing open the door in what he hoped was an intimidating manner.

A large group was waiting patiently at the edge of his front yard. The man that had spoken to him earlier stood in front of them, soggy and wet. Severus repressed a snort. Whether someone had pushed him in the pond or he had fallen in himself, he was marginally cleaner than he had been.

He walked towards Severus and gestured to the group behind him. "We're all waiting for your orders."

"I can see that, thank you," Severus answered. He turned to stand directly in front of the ragtag mob, cleared his throat, and waited for the murmurs to die down. As some semblance of quiet began to fall over the crowd, he opened his mouth to speak - only to be interrupted by man who was now standing next to him.

"If you would all just shut up, he can tell us what he's going to do about Lord -"

"If you don't mind," Severus said angrily, "I do not think I asked for your help." He shoved the man away and gravitated towards an impressive-looking centaur, trying to stay far away from the werewolves (who seemed to be far more interested in his body than in what he might have to say).

"As I understand it, if he explained it all correctly," Severus began, gesturing to the interrupting invader.

"My name is Sirius," the man supplied helpfully.

"If he explained it all correctly," Severus continued, as if he hadn't been interrupted at all, "you all were sent here by a Lord Voldemort, but you all wouldn't mind going back. It's just that none of you seem to have enough courage to defy him and therefore you've decided that you need help. Am I correct?"

"Yes sir," one of the house-elves piped up with a squeaky voice. "You is correct."

"Right, well... I could go to this Lord and demand he allow you all return to your homes," Severus said, waiting for the excited murmurs to die down. "However, I do not know how to find this Lord. And I fail to see why none of you fought this ridiculous notion in the first place."

"We had little choice, Potion Master," a large, barrel-chested man answered. "Most of us were bound before we could fight off our captors. And those of us who were smaller decided it was best not to fight when certain death was the only other option. Us Animagi were caught in our animal forms. Not that it would have mattered. We would have been banned as soon as we transformed."

"I see. Well then, I will go. Does anyone know how I would find this Lord Voldemort?"

An awkward silence fell upon the group as they all turned to look at one another, daring each other to speak first. Next to Severus, Sirius hopped up and down to get his attention. Severus pointedly ignored him. Eventually, everyone in the group gave up on waiting for someone else to talk and watched Sirius and Severus.

Severus waited a moment longer before he turned at the man with an exasperated sigh. "Yes?"

"I know how to get there. I could take you there now if you want to, and we'd be back in time for dinner," Sirius said, watching him with wide, pleading eyes and a huge grin.

Severus sighed. It seemed he had no other volunteers. Sirius was most likely the best option.

"Alright, just let me get my cloak and things and we can be on our way. Do not dare to transform while I'm fetching my things. I do believe it would be wiser if you were to remain a man," Severus advised, turning towards his house again. "It would also look fairly silly for me to talk to a dog and wait for a reply," he added as an afterthought.

"I'll remain human," Sirius replied, "but only because you wouldn't be able to keep up with me once I'm a dog."

Severus glared at him before he entered his home and closed the door behind him, already regretting that he had agreed on making the journey. He grabbed his robes, packed a light lunch inside a basket, and looked around his living room. He sighed, grabbed another apple and walked outside. He was greeted by an empty field, and looked around for the Sirius.

"They've taken up camp on the other side of your house," Sirius declared as he rounded the corner, and watched Severus' face contort with emotions ranging from relief to anger. "They haven't touched any of your herbs so you don't have to worry about them. One of the werewolves used to be a Potions Master himself, and he threatened to bite anyone who dared to look at them. Let alone touch them. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I suppose so. They'd better not get too comfortable, they'll be leaving before nightfall," Severus remarked. He shifted the basket to a better place on his shoulder and headed towards the gate, not waiting for the Animagus to join him.

Sirius watched the dark man walk away before looking towards the group with a sigh. He might have been too quick with offering his services. He would have preferred to stay behind and have someone else bring the Potions Master to Lord Voldemort. He sighed again and tracked after the other man, pointing him in the right direction when he seemed to want to take another path.

* * *

"We're here," Sirius said, gesturing to a large castle with waving purple flags. "This is the border of his lands and where we will part ways, so the best of luck to you and -"

"Oh no, you don't. You will bring me to this Lord Voldemort and you will do so as a man," Severus interrupted, grabbing Sirius' arm to prevent him from leaving. "He needs to see that we won't be taking this nonsense from him."

Sirius sighed and allowed Severus to drag him towards the castle. The two had been talking a little while they were walking – well, Sirius talked and Severus mainly glared - but they had gotten to know a little about each other. Sirius thought the other man was a bit lonely and needed friends who wouldn't be pushed away. Maybe even someone who would appreciate the man behind the stern façade. He had been trying to get Severus to open up, but so far most of his tries had gone unanswered. It hadn't stopped him from talking though.

Arriving at the gates, they were shocked to find that there was nobody to stop or greet them.

"Well, let's go inside," Sirius prompted. He followed Severus through the gates.

"This is strange," Severus said, frowning as he looked around. "Is he that trusting? I would assume someone would have stopped us by now," he added. The two followed their ears to what looked to be a huge arena. Loud noise was erupting from within, making them both curious.

"He doesn't trust anyone. Someone should have stopped us," Sirius said slowly. "Maybe he's not at home and he's taken everyone with him?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "No, there wouldn't be this much racket if there wasn't anyone at home."

They walked on towards the noise, and soon found themselves in the middle of the round arena that they had seen. What seemed like the whole population of the castle was cheering on groups of soldiers, chanting the names of their favourites and groaning when one of them went down. Severus dragged Sirius towards a balcony, where a large purple canopy shielded whoever was sitting beneath it from the sun that shone through the large windows at the top of the arena.

"Severus, do you really think that's wise?" Sirius asked nervously when they barely dodged another soldier as he lunged for them, missed them, and dove into a battle with one of his comrades.

"Would you rather have us wait until someone spots us and then orders us to go over? This way none of them will be capable of fighting us, since they're too busy fighting among themselves," Severus pointed out.

He waited until someone peered over the parapet and watched in amusement as everything around them came to a halt. Another face peeked over the parapet and Severus had to fight back a shudder. Sirius didn't mask his shiver and hid behind Severus' back.

"Who are you and what do you want?" a loud voice spoke, sounding far louder in the ongoing silence.

"My name is Severus Snape and I demand you retrieve a few of your pets from my lands," Severus replied, paying no attention to the glare he could feel in his back. Sirius could glare all he liked, Severus just wanted his grounds back.

"And why would I allow those creatures back into my cretin-free lands? I have finally rid this country from its plague and I do not wish for it to return."

Severus looked up again and noticed the man who had been talking to them was no longer looking at them, but at the gathered crowds. Severus sneered when he heard a loud laughter rise from the stands and waited before he answered again. "You have led them to my grounds and I would like them free from infestation. I have no need for trespassers and the likes."

"If I remove your problem, are you willing to do something for me?"

"That depends."

"Very well. Meet me in the throne room, we will discuss this there. You lot down there, clear up this mess. It seems I have no use for your pathetic fighting skills after all."

The men behind Severus and Sirius grunted and began to mill around the battleground, carrying off the ones too wounded to help. Sirius tugged at Severus' sleeve, earning himself a glare for his trouble. "Do you really think it's wise to meet him there? He's killed bigger men for interrupting his fun."

"He needs something from me, so he won't kill me. As for it being wise, it's probably not, but it's the least I can do to have my home back," Severus answered with a scowl. "Now, where is that throne room?"

"Sir? If you would like to follow me, I have orders to direct you to the meeting area," a large man with a huge sword said, tapping Severus on the shoulder.

Severus looked at Sirius, who shrugged. Severus sighed and followed the brute, hoping he might be able to convince Lord Voldemort to imprison the other man.

* * *

"Welcome to my castle, Master Snape."

The voice came from a very small man sitting on a very large platform, obviously constructed to impress whoever stood before it.

"Thank you, my Lord. It is magnificent," Severus said, not knowing whether to bow or to snigger at the small stature of the man lording over him.

"It is, is it not?" Lord Voldemort preened. "However, you are not here to appease me, so explain to me again why it is that you have searched me out?"

"I wish for my lands to be rid of the current invaders. I was told you sent them there and I want you to remove them."

"Ah, but why would I? Surely you can see that my people are happier without those horrid creatures. We have only to expel the vampires and then this beautiful land does not need to fear being mauled by unnatural creatures any longer," Lord Voldemort replied, holding up his hand when Sirius would interrupt. "I am not finished. Contain your sidekick."

"He is merely my guide, not my sidekick," Severus said with a wry twist of his mouth. "Do you count wizards and witches amongst those unnatural creatures? Because if you are -"

"No, I could not, since I am the greatest wizard alive."

Severus elbowed Sirius to stop the Animagus from sniggering and waited for Lord Voldemort to continue.

"As I was saying, my people will be very happy once we've defeated every threat," Voldemort went on. "And with the creatures on the grounds next to these lands, I have something to use should they refuse to obey me. I will move them to the other side of my lands however, if you complete a task for me."

"What type of task?" Severus asked. Next to him he could feel Sirius perk his ears, curious as to what Lord Voldemort would ask of them.

"I have need for a queen and I have found the perfect candidate. He is being held hostage, however, and needs to be liberated at once. I had my best soldiers fighting for the honour of freeing him, but as you saw, they were not making much of an effort," Lord Voldemort sneered, getting up from his throne and beginning to pace around the platform. "I want you to fetch him and bring him to me. We will wed, and then I will be King Voldemort instead of a lowly Lord."

"Where would we find this young... queen?" Severus asked, nudging Sirius again when he guffawed. He refrained from pointing out that Voldemort's partner would be king as well.

"He is held in a tower, in the barren lands to the East of my country. Do you agree to bring him to me?" Lord Voldemort asked, watching the two men before him skeptically. "I will have your lands emptied by the time you return."

"I agree. I will bring the young man to you and have my lands back when I'm done," Severus said with a nod. "I will take my guide with me so he will not be enforcing his stay upon you."

"You have three days, Master Snape," Lord Voldemort declared, waving them off before either of them could respond.

Sirius stopped Severus before they could leave the castle and glared at him. "How do you suppose we get this young brat out of his tower? Do you even know where the tower is?"

"I do, as a matter of fact." Snape retorted. "The barren lands Voldemort referred to are in the Land of Far, Far Away. I've been there a few times when I still lived there. It shouldn't be too hard," Severus answered, shaking off Sirius' death grip on his arm.

"We have three days to get there, we'll never make it!" Sirius cried out.

"You are a wizard, are you not?" Severus asked, waiting for Sirius to nod. "You know how to Apparate, do you not?" Another nod. "And Side-Along is familiar to you, is it not?"

"Yes, but -"

"Then we'll be there in a flash, hold tight," Severus said as he grabbed his wand and impatiently held out his hand. When he felt a cautious hand grip his own, they Disapparated with a crack.

* * *

"You couldn't have brought us closer to the stupid tower?"

"No, I could have slipped and we would have landed in the magma that runs through these hills," Severus snapped. "Be careful not to step into anything dodgy, you might awaken something that would love to eat you."

"Most creatures would stay far away from places like this," Sirius muttered. He followed Severus until they stood at the remains of what had once been a bridge. Sirius was about to ask the other wizard what he planned to do now, when Severus saw him point his wand at him and the Animagus felt himself being lifted over the ravine.

"The spell is Wingardium Leviosa, I wasn't sure it would work, but it appears to do the trick. Point your wand, cast it and bring me over to where you are," Severus shouted over the roaring molten river of magma flowing in the ravine between them.

Sirius searched for his wand, not sure he even carried it any more since he transformed without one. He found it in one of the deep pockets in the back of his robes, pulled it out, and cast the spell on Severus to bring him over. He hoped he wouldn't drop him, because he knew the spell was never created to carry a full grown man across any distance. When Severus stood next to him, he thought of the spell that might have worked better. "Wouldn't Levicorpus have worked better?"

"Probably, but I cast the first thing that came to mind. All right, shall we?" Severus marched on.

Sirius bowed sardonically and followed Severus yet again. The tower seemed destitute and abandoned and Sirius was getting ready to rub it in the other man's face - when they found themselves eye to eye with a vicious beast. Severus stood ramrod still, not even moving when Sirius bumped into his back.

Sirius glanced at the terrified look on the Potions Master's face and made the decision to shift into his Animagus form. He charged in front of the other wizard and barked a challenge at the creature growling ferociously at them. He faintly recalled that it couldn't be what it looked to be, because there wasn't a full moon out tonight. In fact, it was still the middle of the day. And yet, right in front of them was a werewolf. And it had no intention of backing down.

Sirius moved backwards, bumping into a petrified Severus and hoping the action would break whatever had fallen over the other man. A small gasp escaped Severus and he fell, right on top of Sirius. Growling and twisting his way out from under the taller man, Sirius shoved Snape towards the winding path that led towards the tower before turning to face the werewolf.

* * *

Severus ran through the door to the tower, stopping in the middle of the entrance hall to try and catch his breath. He looked around, looking for something that would give him an idea of where to look for the missing prince, if he was even here. It was guarded, but one would think someone like the elusive prince would have demanded dragons and fire instead of a mangy werewolf.

Severus walked towards the one open door at the far end of the hall, grabbing one of the lit torches that rested in cressets on the walls. Through the door, he found a winding staircase.

Severus climbed cautiously, sidling against the wall to prevent to be seen before he entered the room at the top. Reaching the landing, he gasped. The room was adorned with flowing curtains that filtered the natural light as it fell through the large windows, several candelabrum, and an enormous bed was the centrepiece of the room. On the bed lay a sleeping figure, wearing a light blue gown that was obviously meant to make Severus think of a damsel in distress.

Severus walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, waiting impatiently for the blond man to wake up and acknowledge his presence. When it seemed to take too long, Severus grabbed his shoulders and shook them gently.

A sharp sting on his left cheek shocked him, and he lifted a hand to his face. He looked at the young prince reproachfully and waited for him to apologise.

The young man flew off the bed and grabbed one of the ornamental swords from the wall.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Who I am is of no concern to you. I'm here to rescue you and -"

"Rescue me? But... but you don't look anything like a hero," the young prince said, watching him through squinting eyes.

"You were expecting Prince Charming perhaps?" Severus asked, scowling as he said the idiot's name.

"Well... Yes, I was actually," the soft answer came, sounding hurt.

"He was regrettably detained. Most likely he felt as if his mirror would miss him too much," Severus said with a snort.

A loud crash from below made him look towards the stairs just as Sirius burst through the door.

"Severus, we have to go now! The beast is on my tail. Have you rescued the..? Why are you wearing a dress?"

"You haven't slain the werewolf? What type of hero are you?" the blond man sneered.

"The type that will bring you to the man who wishes to marry you." Severus extended his hand. "Now take my hand, we will go at once."

"I will not Apparate out of this castle. My intended can either come rescue me himself, or you're going to bring me to him the traditional way. Show me to your steed," the prince said, turning his nose up in the air.

"I just... Oh for the love of... Fine, we'll do this the hard way. There is no steed, as you don't need one to Apparate. Sirius, lead the way," Severus said, gesturing towards the exit.

"What if that werewolf is still waiting? He seems to like me, seems to want to... you know." Sirius waggled his eyebrows.

"He won't do anything." The prince sighed. The two older wizards looked at him in surprise. "I've trained him to follow my orders. I actually trained him to transform at will, not just at a full moon. He doesn't like it much, but it seems to work. Well, until the two of you showed up," the younger man said. He walked towards the stairs and saw a pair of eyes glinting down below. "He also knows he is forbidden from coming up here when I'm entertaining." The prince called out loudly. "I guess he feels this is entertaining as well."

"Can we just Ap-"

"No Sirius, the young prince wants to walk, so walk we shall. If the werewolf is as harmless as he claims he can come with us," Severus said, gritting his teeth as he began to descend the stairs.

Sirius took one quick look round, watched the young prince drop the sword and strip off his dress (revealing much better suited tights and shirt), and waited for the younger man to follow Severus. He took up the rear just as Severus landed on the ground floor, seeming to have forgotten his initial terror for the beast.

The werewolf sniffed at the intruders and began to growl again when the prince stepped of the last stair and into the entrance hall. "It's fine, Remus, they will not hurt me."

The beast shook its head and transformed with howls and growls in front of them. The young prince watched with fascination etched on his face, while Severus seemed to have remembered his fear and stumbled backwards into Sirius.

"I know it can be quite dangerous but it still is highly fascinating to see, is it not?"

"It's mostly painful," the werewolf answered back, having regained his human form. "I'm sorry to have scared you, but it was my job to do so."

"Yes, well," Severus started, then cleared his throat. "You did a fine job I suppose. I seem to remember you were not all too fond of protecting princes, Remus."

"You two know each other?" Sirius asked, while the young prince's mouth hung open in surprise.

"Yes, we used to work for the same people a very long time ago," Remus answered. "As for protecting princes, Prince Draco is far different than Prince Charming. At least he knows he should sometimes look away from a mirror."

Severus snorted. "Yes well, we all know he can look away if there is someone else to charm. Let us leave now, I would like to have the forest behind us before nightfall. We don't want robbers and the likes falling upon us." Draco beckoned Remus along, and together the four of them trooped out of the tower.

* * *

They had been walking for quite some time when darkness began to fall, and Severus realised they wouldn't make it out of the forest in time. He had seen the furtive looks Sirius and Remus had exchanged a couple of times and had to smile secretly. He remembered the haunted looks on Remus' face any time someone would mention love, and had hoped the only friend he once had would have found happiness despite his problem. It now looked like he might have found a companion in the boisterous Sirius. It would be a problem, though, if they failed to deliver Draco to his destination in time. The young prince seemed determined to keep up and even joked along with the idiot Remus had taken a shining to.

Severus led them a little further until he found the perfect spot to spend the remainder of the night: a small cabin in the middle of a clearing. He halted and waited for the others to catch up. When it took them too long to realise he was missing, he cast a quick Stinging Hex towards Sirius and he heard a satisfying yelp. It didn't take long for the other three to come around, dog-Sirius leading the way. With a rumbling growl, he pounced on Severus.

"Sirius, get off him! He only tried to catch our attention," Draco cried, trying to dislodge the big dog.

The dog shook its head, and then Severus had his lap filled with an angry-looking man. "There was no reason to hex me!"

"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" Severus asked, smirking when he saw Sirius scowl. "Now please get off me so we can prepare for the night."

"I'd rather walk on if that's the same to you," Draco said. "I don't really like sleeping in the forest."

"We could go on, but then we could be robbed within moments. Here we would be relatively safe. We can see all around and we would hear anyone that would approach," Severus answered.

"You really think there are burglars in the area?"

"I know there are burglars in the area. Just because you can't see them -"

"Yes, yes, I know. Well... I'll just make myself comfortable in that little cabin over there and you lot can keep an eye out. Whatever you do, don't enter the cabin without knocking," the young prince instructed, glancing at all of them before turning and heading towards the cabin.

Severus turned to Remus and Sirius, wanting to ask what Draco had meant, but the wizard and the werewolf had walked off to the edge of the clearing and only had eyes for each other. Sirius was muttering complaints under his breath, mostly too low for Severus to hear, but he could pick up the words 'hex' and 'hurt' quite clearly. Remus seemed to calm him down easily, and soon the two were sitting on a fallen tree with their backs to Severus.

Severus sighed and turned, leaving the two to deal with whatever problems they needed to discuss. He began to levitate small rocks into some semblance of a fire pit and cast a spell to start a fire, to scare off animals that had no business coming too close. He sat down on a larger boulder afterwards and sighed again. He groaned when he realised they hadn't even had anything to eat, but he refused to waste his breath on telling the two lovebirds. He stood and walked to the cabin. He knocked on the door and asked if the prince needed anything.

"No, thank you. I'm going to sleep ,which is what I suggest you do as well," came the quick reply.

"Aren't you hungry?" Severus tried again.

"No, I'm not. I have food with me." The door opened a crack and a pale hand extended through the small opening, offering Severus a slice of bread. "Here. Eat this and go to sleep. Let one of the other two take the first watch. Good night, Severus."

Severus took the bread Draco offered him and was torn between pushing the door open further or leaving the prince in peace. The decision was made for him when the door slammed shut as soon as he took the food. Severus scowled, took an angry bite and turned. The sight of two sleeping figures near his fire only fueled his annoyance, and he was tempted to start a racket out of spite. He looked back at the door and decided against it. He didn't know why, but he feared it would make travel difficult the following day.

'This is just wonderful,' he thought, tramping to the far end of the clearing to prepare for a long watch. He at least hoped Remus would wake to take over from him. If not, he would fuss up a storm. He started another small fire and stared off into the night, alert for anything out of the ordinary.

* * *

A lovely smell woke Severus from an unpleasant dream that involved far too many snakes. He grunted when someone called his name, and realised he must have fallen asleep on his watch because he was still slumped against a tree at the edge of the clearing. He sat up a little straighter and accepted the food that Draco handed to him. He was famished after his slice of bread from the night before.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," a cheery voice spoke, making him frown at the prince. "The two lovebirds would have left you behind, but I managed to convince them that we needed you as our guide to get back."

Severus raised an eyebrow at the young man standing before him, then nodded his head in thanks and began to eat, listening to the his companions discuss the next leg of their trip. He was not in the mood to help them plan, and realised the young prince wasn't either, if he was willingly pursuing Severus' company. Severus patted the seat next to him and frowned when Draco sat down gingerly. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a bit sore. There was no bed so I had to sleep in a chair. I'm not used to that," Draco said sheepishly.

"I could heal that for you, if you want," Severus offered.

"No, it's fine. Remus already offered, but I'm not that sore. Walking will probably help. Are you finished with your food?"

Severus took his last bite and nodded. He handed his plate to the young prince and stood. He strode over to where Sirius and Remus were bickering back and forth, and loftily declared that they should continue on the road they travelled the day before.

* * *

The road was clear for the first few hours of their journey. Clear and extraordinarily boring. Severus wished fervently for that same boredom when a group of men in tights (tights!) surrounded them as they stopped to take lunch. The men were grimy, smelly, and armed to the teeth.

The leader of the smelly mob grinned at Draco when he caught sight of the prince, ambling up to where the younger man was resolutely ignoring him.

When the man came too close, Severus grabbed his collar and pushed him away with a sneer. "Can't you take a hint? He doesn't want anything to do with you. And neither do the rest of us. Leave us in peace; we have nothing to give you."

The man looked at him with flashing eyes and his face contorted in an ugly grimace. "He'll want everything to do with me once he learns who I am. He's better off with me than with your pathetic little group." The rogue shoved Severus, making him stumble.

"Have you ever heard of Gilderoy Lockhart and his group of smiling men?" the man asked, flashing his pearly white smile at Draco, who rolled his eyes.

"No," Severus retorted, " but we have heard of a Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Perhaps you know them?"

"A bunch of fakers if you ask me," Lockhart blustered. "Steal from the rich and give to the poor? That's not how you become famous. All we have to do is smile and people hand everything to us on a silver platter. See?"

Severus felt nauseated when the whole ragtag group turned towards them, and showed the full force of their big smiles. He felt movement behind him and turned towards Draco. "What?!"

"This is where you do your hero stuff. Come on Severus, rescue me." Grey eyes looked at him expectantly.

"Rescue you? From what? Death by smile?" Severus asked exasperatedly.

Draco huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He raised his brow and looked at the still smiling group. Behind him, Severus could see that both Remus and Sirius were laughing, although he couldn't say if it was because of the young prince or because of the ridiculous robbers.

"Oh, for the love of... Fine, I'll rescue you," Severus said. He drew his wand, too quick to see, and cast the first spell that came to mind: "Expelliarmus!"

Lockhart was thrown off his feet by the strength behind the spell. Severus caught his wand and smugly watched the man make a run for it, yelling over his shoulders at his group to follow him. A stray Stinging Hex hit him in the chest, and he fell down on his knees, immediately enveloped by surprisingly strong arms.

"My hero," Draco murmured in his ear. "Does it hurt terribly?"

"It'll bruise, and it – well, stings - but it's nothing I can't handle," Severus griped, allowing himself a little comfort in the young prince's arms. "Can we please Apparate to Lord Voldermort's castle now? Surely you understand it would be quicker."

"But... No. No, we cannot," the prince said firmly, determination clear in his voice.

"No? Why on earth not? It wou-"

"Yes, it would, but I can't Apparate, I would have escaped that damn tower if I could have, and I don't Side-Along. We'll walk until we find a resting place where we'll eat and sleep, and then we'll continue until we reach that castle. Now if you aren't that hurt, can we leave?" Draco sounded firm and yet Severus could see the anxiety and hurt on the young man's face. Severus was suddenly afraid that he'd offended the young prince somehow.

Severus nodded and stood, helping Draco to his feet. The prince brushed the dirt from his legs and strode away without looking over his shoulder. Remus rushed after him to offer comfort while Sirius stood next to Severus and clapped him on his shoulder. "Well done, Severus. Now he'll be impossible to deal with."

"But..." Severus looked after the two men, confused.

"I know," Sirius said. "Let's just go and see how bad it really is."

* * *

It wasn't as bad as Sirius had feared. The young prince did talk, joke and even sing with him and Remus. He just refused to acknowledge Severus' presence.

Severus brooded on the events that lead to this immature behaviour and came to the conclusion that he still didn't know what he had done wrong. He scowled and followed the group at a short distance, silently agreeing with every decision that the others made and nodding brusquely each time Sirius or Remus looked back at him.

They arrived at the edge of the forest just before nightfall, and started preparing to settle in for the night. Remus started a fire while Sirius began preparing dinner. Draco declared that he would sleep in a run-down mill and Severus grouchily sat on a tree-stump in the shade of the forest. He had decided he would apologise to the prince once they had eaten.

Severus watched the three men mill around and sighed. A large part of him wanted to resolve everything and tell the young prince he was entirely rubbish with people and emotions, but a small part wanted to just deliver the young man to Lord Voldemort and be on his way, alone as that may be.

Remus sat down next to him, startling him from his thoughts. "You're still terrible at reading people, aren't you?"

"I've never... I suppose you're right, Remus," Severus answered softly. "How do I fix this?"

"Be honest, apologise and do not treat him like a child," Remus said. "I know you haven't," the werewolf held up a hand, stopping Severus' interruption, "But I will warn you, he will not appreciate it when you do."

Severus opened his mouth to object as Sirius walked over, holding two plates with a sour expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" Severus inquired.

"His highness claimed to be tired, so he retired for the night. Without even trying my food!" Sirius exclaimed, handing a plate to Remus and extending the other to Severus, who declined.

"I'm not hungry, Sirius, thank you. Why don't you have my food? I have to take a walk," Severus said vaguely as he stood. He frowned at the scowl on Sirius' face. "I'm sure it's delicious Sirius, but if I eat I'll -"

"It's all right, Severus. Walk, think, and come back with an answer and without that knot in your stomach," Remus said. "Sirius and I will hold down the fort."

"If you can call a dilapidated mill a fort," Sirius remarked.

Severus nodded, thanked them and began to walk. He looked at the mill for a short moment, sighed and turned back towards the forest. He would deal with Draco and his feelings when he knew what he wanted to say.

* * *

Severus walked towards the mill, a tulip clutched in a trembling hand: the fruits of his walk in the forest. Going to knock on the door, found it slightly ajar. He pushed it open further and walked inside. He heard voices come from the landing above him and started for the stairs when the sound of Draco's voice stopped him.

"...but be honest, no one will want someone like that, all greasy and wrinkly-looking."

Severus furrowed his brow, crushed the poor flower in his fist and turned on his heels. If that was how the prince felt about him, he would make sure the young man would no longer have to look at his offensive visage. He Apparated straight into Lord Voldemort's bedroom.

"Who's there?" a silky voice inquired.

Torches and candles were lit as soon as the words were spoken, and Severus had to blink a few times before he could see properly. "It is me, my Lord, the Potions Master Snape."

"Why are you alone? You failed, didn't you?" a lump under the bedcovers asked with a sneer.

"No, I did not fail. He's in a mill at the edge of your lands, refusing to Apparate. It's only a few hours from here. I thought you would like to collect him from there. Make some sort of statement," Severus said in an even voice, although he cringed inside.

"Oh, that's brilliant!" Lord Voldemort exclaimed, flinging off the coverlet, suddenly wide awake. "Let me get dressed, have my horse saddled and my escort readied, and then we'll ride out."

"Very well, my Lord," Severus answered. He left the room and sat down next to the door, wondering if he had done the right thing.

* * *

They walked up the hill, making quite a spectacle. Lord Voldemort rode an enormous black thestral – Severus could only imagine how it looked to someone who couldn't see the creatures - his escort rode beautiful white horses as if they were all heroes going to battle. He heard voices as they approached the top of the hill, and realised the prince and the other two men had probably just woken up.

"Severus! There you are!" Draco cried out when they reached the top and came into view. "I have something I need - " he paused in confusion. "Who are they?"

"Your Highness, this is Lord Voldemort, the man who enlisted me to rescue you. Lord Voldemort, this is your bride, Prince Draco," Severus said, bowing and gesturing between the two men. "I believe I've kept my word?"

"Yes you have, Potions Master. Here's the deed to your lands, so now you can live the rest of your life miserable and alone, as you requested," Lord Voldemort replied snottily, handing Severus a fancy piece of parchment.

"Severus? What does this mean? And did you just call me his bride? Are you INSANE?" Draco's voice got higher and louder with each question until he was shouting. Severus refused to look at him and instead inspected his deed with care.

Draco gaped at him, before slowly turning to Lord Voldemort. "Fine. My Lord, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance I'm sure," the prince said, bowing slightly and glaring at Severus, unseen by Lord Voldemort. He straightened and extended his hand for Lord Voldemort to take.

"Oh it is, it is. Now my lovely prince, please take a seat on my steed so we may leave these peasants and plan our wedding," Lord Voldemort said gleefully, taking the extended hand and hoisting the prince up to sit behind him on his thestral. He looked scornfully down at Sirius and Remus. "You may say your farewells to them, my fair prince. Although why you would is beyond me."

"Farewell Sirius. Remus, will you come with me? I need your presence," Draco asked softly. Remus nodded, causing Sirius to gasp. "Thank you. My Lord, I hope you will forgive me when I ask you to wed me as soon as possible, preferably before nightfall today."

"Eager aren't we? Very well, so it shall be done, we will have a wedding before nightfall," Lord Voldemort crowed. "Goodbye Potions Master, too bad he doesn't wish to extend his farewell to you."

Severus watched as the group, including Remus, turned and paraded down the hill. He sat down on the ground and sighed. He could feel Sirius approach him, but looking up seemed to take too much effort.

"What have you done, Severus? You could have become very happy and now you've ruined it for the both of us," Sirius said, his voice hoarse as if he was holding back tears.

"He doesn't want me. At least this way, he will be happy and... I don't know, live the life he wants," Severus answered, sighing as he looked up and saw the hurt in the other man's eyes.

"But he does want you Severus. He said so himself, he -"

"He said he didn't want someone greasy and wrinkly-looking, like me. He does n-"

"He was talking about himself, Severus. You have to trust me, he... Where are you going?" Sirius called, baffled when Severus stood and walked in the opposite direction..

"Home," Severus replied. "And I advise you to do the same. You could try and follow them to be with Remus if you so desire, but leave me alone. I probably have a lot of repairs to do to my home and I do not want to be disturbed."

Severus walked away, not waiting for a reply. He walked in long strides until he cursed, then Disapparated with a crack.

* * *

A strange thump outside his window startled Severus from washing his dishes. He threw down the towel he was using to dry his plates and threw his door open. "What on earth are you doing?"

Sirius glanced towards him and put down the log he was carrying, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm marking my border. I figured since I helped you, I deserved half of your deed - meaning half of your grounds. You can have your ingredients and the marshes, and I'll have this part," Sirius declared, as if it was only logical.

"Have you lost your mind? The deed is mine! Remove that at once and get of my lands," Severus shouted. He picked up the closest log and started to drag it from the pile Sirius had made.

"No! I deserve this! You may want to be alone, and I will allow you to be so, but I'm going to build my own house on this little patch of land and I'm going to live in it, whether you like it or not," Sirius fumed. He grabbed the log from Severus' hands and dragged it back on the stack. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish this and then I'll... sleep near that rock and begin building my home in the morning."

Severus, furious, wanted to pick up the Animagus and shake him, but he decided against it. He turned on his heels and went back inside. He looked at the plates he still had to dry and drew his wand, casting a levitation spell on the dishes that propelled them through the open window. He smirked when he heard a satisfying crash followed by a yelp. He might have one unwanted guest left, at least he knew foolproof ways to annoy the ingrate.

He stood by the window and looked at the laughable progress Sirius was making. He sighed when Sirius placed another log on the stack and it collapsed, but he couldn't find it himself to mock the other man. He went outside and stood by the border Sirius was creating. "Do you need help?"

"What I need is to go rescue a certain prince and werewolf, but I could also use a hand here," Sirius retorted. He pointed at a loop of twine he had conjured and motioned to the stack he was holding together. "You can put that around the logs."

"Even if I would go with you, we'd never be on time. He's getting married, Sirius! In a few -"

"Are you forgetting something?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "Are you a wizard or aren't you?"

"I am one yes, but I do not -"

"Severus please, you've been demanding to Apparate most of our journey back and now you're forgetting you can? Let's go," Sirius said, sounding exasperated. He grabbed the other man's arm, grabbed his wand and murmured the spell. They Apparated straight into the castle and looked for the chapel where the wedding was about to take place.

* * *

Sirius strained to see through the stained glass window of the chapel, wavering a little in the air as Severus' levitation spell faltered. He was trying to discover how far the proceedings had come but couldn't see much. "Can you lift me just a little higher? I can barely make out the ceiling and I don't think we're looking for that."

Severus growled but complied, levitating Sirius high enough for him to see something they could use. He was sweating and it was getting harder to hold the spell, but he needed to know if he was too late or still had a chance. "Why can't I just go in and see for myself? This is stupid and pointless."

"Because you have to wait until the priest says, 'If anyone objects to this joining, speak now or forever hold their peace.' It's more romantic that way and trust me, Draco wants romance. Oh, there's Remus and there's Draco and that Lord Voldemort and the priest and... oh, I think he's coming to the kiss now, which means he's – ouch," Sirius cried out when he fell on his bum, dropped by Severus the other man severed the spell and ran inside the chapel.

"Stop this wedding at once! I object! I do so much object!" Severus shouted as he ran down the aisle towards the couple at the altar. He panted when he reached the first of three steps and paused for a moment to look up at the Draco's face. "You have no idea how much I object to this joining."

"Severus," Draco whispered, rushing to his side.

"Ah, isn't that sweet? The Potions Master has finally come to tell you he loves you and wants to be with you," Lord Voldemort sneered. "But guess what, Master Snape, you're too late. We've been wed and I am now King!"

"We haven't kissed yet and he could still -" Draco tried, walking back to Lord Voldemort to persuade him to let him go.

"You, my dear husband, will return to your little tower and rot in there for all I care," Lord Voldemort interrupted nastily, grabbing Draco and throwing him to the floor. Voldemort stalked towards Severus. "I have what I need, now everyone will bow to me. And I think the Potions Master should be the first. Bow to me, Master Snape, bow to me."

Severus shook his head and stood ramrod straight. He looked straight into Draco's eyes and smiled softly before he looked back at Lord Voldemort. "No, I will not, nor will I ever, bow down to you. You will never be a king, I will make sure you won't be even if -"

"And how do you suppose you will do that?" Voldemort cackled.

"He doesn't have to anything. I will do what I need to do, and should have done, when we first met you," a voice came from the shadows: Remus. Transforming into his werewolf form, he stood in front of Lord Voldemort and growled.

"That roughly means 'You have exactly five seconds to run before I devour you,'" Sirius translated while he walked down the aisle towards the others. "If I had that choice I would run," he added with a grin.

Lord Voldemort pointed his wand at Remus and started muttering under his breath, surely the beginning to a nasty spell. Before the spell could leave his wand, Remus pounced, ending Voldemort forever. The crown he'd been wearing fell from his head and rolled to a stop between Draco's feet. He picked it up and threw it across the room, lifting his wand to blast it to pieces in midair. "There, now everything's balanced again. You never know with people like him."

Severus walked towards him and nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry about -"

"Ssh, it's all right. You're here now and you tried to object and be a hero and... Thank you," Draco said, walking closer to him and wrapping his arms around the older man's neck. "Now kiss me, you fool. And you'd better kiss me like you mean it."

Severus laughed and put his arms around the young prince's waist. He pulled him closer and put his forehead on Draco's. "I hope I can meet your expectations," he said before he pressed his lips to the mouth just a bit beneath his. He moved his mouth against Draco's, allowing his tongue to lick over Draco's bottom lip.

Draco grinned into the kiss and opened his mouth to allow Severus entrance. They wrestled for for a short moment, before Severus pulled away and rested his forehead on Draco's again. "I would love to continue this and do more, but can we do that somewhere a little more private?"

Draco took a deep breath and looked up in a daze. He nodded with a bright smile and allowed Severus to lead him out of the temple. "Let's do that. Oh, and Severus, please Apparate us. I would like to be in private as soon as possible."

Severus smirked, took Draco's hand and Apparated them to his home. He led him into his bedroom, lay him down on the bed and closed the curtains around it with a wave of his hand. He crawled over to the young prince and smiled. Draco smiled back, brought his head up and captured Severus' lips. They kissed before they broke apart to shed their clothes and climb under the sheets to fulfill the promise of more.

 **-The End-**


End file.
